Hunting for vectorlike quarks

We analyze decays of vectorlike quarks in extensions of the standard model and a two Higgs doublet model. We identify several typical patterns of branching ratios of the lightest new up-type quark, t₄, and down-type quark, b₄, depending on the structure of Yukawa couplings that mix the vectorlike and standard model quarks (we assume only mixing with the third generation) and also on their doublet or singlet nature. We find that decays into heavy neutral or charged Higgs bosons, when kinematically open, can easily dominate and even be close to 100%: b₄ → Hb at medium to large tan β, t₄ → Ht at small tan β and b₄ → H^±t, t₄ → H^±b at both large and small tan β. The pair production of vectorlike quarks leads to 6t, 4t2b, 2t4b and 6b final states. The decay modes into W, Z and h follow the pattern expected from the Goldstone boson equivalence limit that we generalize to scenarios with all possible couplings. We also discuss in detail the structure of Yukawa couplings required to significantly deviate from the pattern characteristic of the Goldstone boson equivalence limit that can result in essentially arbitrary branching ratios.